When he’s not building cars, Mzukisi Toba is rebuilding houses through an NPO that brings hope after devastating fires.
South Africa (25 September 2025) – There’s a popular Xhosa proverb that says “Umntu ngumntu ngabantu,” which directly translates to “a person is because of other people”. For a person to thrive, a person needs the assistance of other people. This term is closely related to the concept of Ubuntu – that an individual’s humanity is defined by their relationships and interconnectedness with others.
Mzukisi Toba, a VWGA production operator in Final Assembly, lived this philosophy when he recently helped a pensioner couple rebuild their burned-down house, after over 10 years of living in a temporary structure.
One morning in 2014, Royi and Nowandile Virginia Ntshanyana woke up in their home in KwaNobuhle to a fire engulfing their home. After all their belongings were lost in this fire, they were housed by the Department of Labour in a temporary structure – meant to be an interim solution.
For Mzukisi, who runs a nonprofit organisation called Sinako We Can in his spare time, their need for a home became a priority. Sinako’s work primarily involves rebuilding and refurnishing homes that have burned down in the townships of Nelson Mandela Bay, and in August this year, he was able to give the Ntshanyanas the keys to their brand new house.
“When we started this work in 2017, the idea was to help those in urgent need,” says Mzukisi. “At the time, we had neighbours who had recently been through a tragic experience where their houses had been burnt down. As a community, we felt the need to help the victims by planning and organising a concert; we were then able to raise enough to help these two families.”
He continued helping other families in the community, but this became difficult from a sponsorship and funding perspective.
“In 2019, we formally registered as a non-profit organisation. Our mandate is simple: we want to bring back the human dignity of those who have particularly experienced having their house burnt down. After noting how little our local government would provide for these families – in the form of only mattresses, blankets, and relief food parcels – we felt compelled to chip in and ensure we restore shelter over the heads of these families.”
Since then, Sinako has rebuilt nine houses.
“We work with various companies that assist with a varied range of contributions to the organisation. For the Ntshanyana residence in particular, we worked closely with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in KwaNobuhle, and we also received buckets of paint from the South African Funeral Practitioners Association (SAFPA). The community itself is a major contributor to our initiative, and we get offered pieces of clothing, furniture and so on by good Samaritans.”
Sinako has also partnered with the Department of Correctional Services on certain projects, with parolees under supervision assisting with the rebuilding work.
Beyond rebuilding houses, Mzukisi assists the community through other initiatives, such as a soup kitchen reliant on his own vegetable garden at home.
The Ntshanyana family lacked the words to express their gratitude. “I am truly grateful to everyone who was involved in this project. If it weren’t for them, we would still be sleeping in that cold temporary structure, as we have done for the past 10 years,” said Royi.
For more information or to donate, visit the Sinako We Can NPO Facebook page.
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